Chapter 92.1: A New Problem Arrives
Beginning in mid-May, Ren Yan
stopped spending every day at Liya. Sun Yi's project was ready for submission,
and he rushed over there, leading everyone through the purgatory-like days
leading up to the submission, acting as a strict and ruthless Ren Yasha,
leading everyone in the preparation of application materials.
When Ren Yan was away from Liya,
Qin Qianyu was in charge of the project site. Despite the boss's absence,
everyone worked diligently, completely fulfilling their commitment to the
principle of "the boss's presence is the same regardless of his absence."
Occasionally, Qin Qianyu would
start a sentimental conversation, raving about how he missed Ren Yan and how
only his presence could subdue the demons and monsters of this bizarre company.
Liu Lifeng and Yan Yunqiang echoed him, openly expressing their longing for
their leader. At these moments, Chu Qianmiao seemed out of place unless she
responded with a "Me too."
But Chu Qianmiao, for some reason,
just couldn't bring herself to say, "Me too."
Why think about him?
From a work perspective, there was
no need to think about him. Sooner or later, people in the workplace must learn
to do their own things. Over-reliance on anyone is a premature end to progress.
From a personal perspective, she
couldn't think about him even more. He was a cold dish on a recipe she'd
flipped through; thinking about it too much would ruin her appetite.
For the rest of the month, she
worked hard during the day and read at night.
The weather grew hotter by the day.
During the hottest days, Chu Qianmiao and Liu Lifeng rushed back to Beijing to
take the insurance agent exam. Yan Yunqiang, feeling he hadn't studied enough
and would definitely fail, simply gave up the exam, unwilling to torment
himself with days of sticky sweat in the scorching summer heat.
The weather was so hot that Chu
Qianmiao suffered from heatstroke upon arriving in Beijing. She sometimes hated
her tendency to get heatstroke.
Before entering the exam room, she
had a fever. After vomiting in the bathroom, she calmly walked into the exam
room despite a high fever. Throughout the exam, she wasn't sure whether she was
conscious or in shock; her vision was constantly foggy. But she fought to stay
as lucid as possible. By the end, she collapsed at the exam table, unable to
move.
Using almost every ounce of her
strength, she finally managed to lift a finger and called Gu Miaoyu, who rushed
over and took her directly to the hospital.
The next day, she returned to the
project site. Qin Qianyu was a little surprised when he saw her. "How can
you be so unrecognizable on an exam? I didn't ask you how you did."
She smiled, sincerely thanking her
sweet brother for his instinctive consideration.
After returning to the business
trip site, she continued working during the day and, at night, continued to
study for the insurance agent exam. She knew exactly how she had fared.
On the day the results were
released, Ren Yan surprisingly showed up at Liya.
Chu Qianmiao knew that another
project had just submitted its listing documents the day before, and he should
have rested in Beijing for a few days before returning to his new work. But he
didn't even take a break and rushed to the Liya site the next day.
As soon as he entered the due
diligence office, he asked Liu Lifeng, "Did you pass the exam?" He
looked a little dusty.
Liu Lifeng lowered his head, as if
admitting his mistake, and shook it.
Ren Yan turned to Chu Qianmiao,
looked at her, took two silent breaths, and asked, "How about you?"
From the moment she left the exam
room until Ren Yan asked her the question, Chu Qianmiao had been convinced that
even if she failed this time, she didn't need to be discouraged. After all, she
could still try again in September.
But just when Ren Yan asked her,
"How about you?", she saw endless anticipation in his eyes. That
anticipation suddenly surged over her, making her feel almost overwhelmed.
Having failed to live up to those
expectations, she suddenly felt incredibly dejected. She pursed her lips and
finally uttered only five words: "I'm sorry, boss."
Liu Lifeng, who had been bowing his
head, suddenly turned towards her, his gaze filled with surprise and a hint of
delight.
He hadn't imagined that he'd
escaped his fate as a subordinate this time.
When Ren Yan heard that Chu
Qianmiao had failed the exam, he stared at her intently for almost ten seconds.
Realizing that any further staring would be enough to make him lose his
composure, he said calmly, "Then hurry up and prepare for the September
exam."
After a pause, he turned to Liu
Lifeng and said, "You too."
For the entire afternoon, Chu
Qianmiao felt as if she had done something wrong to Ren Yan. In her deep
despair, she pondered Ren Yan's previous words: if she failed the exam, she'd
be fired. She wondered if those words would hold true. She wondered if she
would no longer be needed on the journey to the West to slay demons and
monsters, and if he would have to ask her to pack her bags and return to Gao
Laozhuang in a few days.
After returning to the hotel from
get off work that evening and having dinner, Chu Qianmiao received a message
from Ren Yan.
The message was frighteningly
concise: just two words: "Go downstairs."
She hurried downstairs.
Upon reaching the first floor and
exiting the elevator, she saw Ren Yan sitting on a sofa in the hotel lobby,
facing her. He waved, motioning her to come sit across from him.
Chu Qianmiao, her heart pounding,
walked over and sat down, her shoulders and back straight, like an obedient
elementary school student waiting to be reprimanded for failing an exam.
Ren Yan looked at her and, without
further ado, asked directly, "Why didn't you pass this time? Did you not
review enough or something?"
Chu Qianmiao took a breath before
saying, "If I said I was sick the day before the exam, would you believe
me? Would you think I was making excuses?"
Ren Yan frowned. "How did you
get sick?"
Chu Qianmiao stammered,
"Just... heatstroke."
Ren Yan's memory pinpointed her
appearance after a heatstroke: her face as pale as lime, devoid of any color,
and her whole face languid, yet she persisted in her work. It had happened
while she was working on the Hanhai Home Textiles project. It had seemed so
long ago, yet it was as clear in his mind as if it had happened yesterday.
He nodded and said, "Since you
didn't pass this time..."
Chu Qianmiao held her breath. She
was a little afraid he would say, "Then you should leave."
"Just prepare well for the
September exam. Don't be discouraged," Ren Yan said.
Chu Qianmiao let out a long sigh.
"Hmm."
Thankfully, he didn't mention
firing her.
"Don't slack off. Work
harder," Ren Yan said.
Chu Qianmiao's slightly tense
nerves relaxed completely. "Hmm." Such encouragement and advice
didn't sound like he was going to fire her.
"If you fail the exam again in
September, you'll really be out," Ren Yan said in a dull tone.
Chu Qianmiao thought she'd dodged
the exam, but she never expected that, while the knife of dismissal wasn't
aimed at her neck this time, it was still hanging over her head, flashing a
murderous and cold light.
"Boss, can I ask why I have to
leave if I don't pass the exam?" Chu Qianmiao asked, mustering the
courage. After all, Liu Lifeng had failed the exam three times before and was
still working happily at Litong.
Is Ren Yan favoring boys over
girls?
"I'm your boss. I've given you
my instructions. Just follow them. No questions asked." Ren Yan's tone was
cold, intimidating Chu Qianmiao into silence.
Suddenly, Ren Yan raised his chin
at her. "Next time you review, if you don't understand something, don't
ask half-knowledgeable idiots. It's a waste of time. Come ask me
directly."
Chu Qianmiao was stunned.
Who were these half-knowledgeable
idiots referring to? Qin Qianyu, Liu Lifeng?
"Did you hear that?" Ren
Yan's voice hardened twice.
Chu Qianmiao nodded repeatedly,
"I understand."
After receiving this lecture,
before leaving for her room, Ren Yan delivered another harsh warning:
"Take the exam again in September. If you still don't pass, you're really
out. Do you understand?"
Chu Qianmiao nodded repeatedly,
confirming her understanding. By the end, a solemn expression filled her face.
She had taken his harsh words seriously.
He let her go. But as he watched
her back, he thought, she probably didn't understand.
She probably hadn't noticed that
every time he said "leave," he'd left without a subject.
Take the exam again in September.
If you still don't pass, you're really leaving.
I'm not asking you to leave, I'm
leaving.
After Ren Yan returned to his room,
he received a video call from Lei Zhenzi.
He accepted.
Lei Zhenzi asked, his eyes
twinkling, "Brother, how was it? Did Qian Miao pass the exam?"
Ren Yan calmly told him,
"No."
Lei Zhenzi's expression quickly
changed, from a smile to a look of shock. "Oh, she didn't pass! Qian Miao
is so smart, she doesn't look like an idiot. How could she fail?"
Ren Yan frowned. "We've only
been studying for less than six months. Isn't it normal for her to fail?
Besides, she was sick before the exam. Didn't you also fail the exam after a
year at investment banking?" He spoke rapidly, asking these questions in a
series of sentences.
Lei Zhenzi's smile returned.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, I was just surprised by this short. Look at how
you've rubbed me the wrong way. Now you can't even tolerate her flaws. No one
can say anything about them. Ah Ren, you're done."
After a pause, Lei Zhenzi added,
"It doesn't matter. She still has two exams in September and December.
Don't put too much pressure on her."
Ren Yan, however, said, "No,
she has to pass in September."
"Lei Zhenzi looked puzzled.
"Why?"
Looking at Ren Yan's hesitant
expression, he suddenly grasped the key point. "Oh, I get it. You, a
passionate man, facing such a vibrant woman, can only last until September, but
you definitely can't last until December. Hahahaha. This is your big, frigid
moment, right? You shouldn't be forced to hold it back."
His secrets exposed, Ren Yan ended
the video call, intercepting Lei Zhenzi's taunts back across the ocean.
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